Department of Civil Service

Welcome!

The New York State Civil Service system was developed to ensure that the best and brightest employees are brought into public service. The Albany County Department of Civil Service was established, per Article V, Section 6 of the New York State Constitution, to ensure that appointments and promotions in the civil service of the state and all the civil divisions shall be made according to merit and fitness; and, as far as practicable, shall be in the competitive class.

The Director of the Albany County Department of Civil Service possesses responsibility in five major areas of Civil Service administration. These are: 1) adoption of civil service rules; 2) the classification of positions; 3) the administration of an examination program; 4) the maintenance of employment records; and 5) the enforcement of Civil Service Law through the payroll certification process.

How to reach us:

We are located in the Albany County Office Building at 112 State Street in downtown Albany. Our hours of operation are 8:30am–4:30pm, Monday through Friday (except holidays). Please feel free to call us during business hours at (518) 447–7770 with any questions you may have concerning policies or procedures. You can also email us at csinfo@albanycounty.com. If you email us outside of business hours, we'll get back to you when our office is open again.

Looking for the NEW YORK STATE or CITY OF ALBANY Civil Service Office?

We are the Albany County Department of Civil Service. We often receive phone calls from people trying to reach the New York State Department of Civil Service or the City of Albany Municipal Civil Service Commission. While all three agencies are located in downtown Albany, we are separate and distinct agencies.

You can reach the NY State Department of Civil Service at (518) 457-2487. Their website is www.cs.ny.gov. Their office is at the Empire State Plaza, Agency Building One on the Ninth Floor in Albany, NY.

You can reach the City of Albany Municipal Civil Service Commission at (518) 434-5049. Their website is www.albanyny.gov. Their office is in the Albany City Hall.

Looking for other civil service agencies within Albany County?

You can reach the Town of Colonie Civil Service Department at (518) 783-2721. Their website is www.colonie.org/civilservice.

You can reach the City of Cohoes Civil Service Commission at (518) 233-2132. Their website is www.cohoes.com.

You can reach the City of Watervliet Municipal Civil Service Commission at (518) 270-3800 ext. 114. Their website is www.watervliet.com.

Civil Service Policies:

Municipal Employment Records and Information Tracking ('MERIT')

The Albany County Department of Civil Service is proud to allow local appointing authorities the ability to electronically submit their agencies' personnel changes as well as keep up to date on the information available through our office. Learn More